Kim Foxx Touts Reforms in Report on Cook County State’s Attorney Tenure

CHICAGO – On the eve of her departure from office, Cook County State’s Attorney kim foxx released a final report and data summary summarizing his eight years as the county’s top prosecutor.

Foxx was first elected state’s attorney in 2016 as a progressive prosecutor, but her tenure was marked by high-profile cases and public scrutiny and decided not to run for re-election this year. Eileen O’Neil Burke, Democrat, was elected last month will be the next state’s attorney and will be sworn in on Monday.

In his final report, Foxx emphasized the reforms his administration underwent and the several wrongful convictions he overturned that his office said “profoundly influenced the criminal justice landscape in Cook County,” according to a news release.

“Reflecting on the past eight years, I am immensely proud of the hard work and dedication of our team who have worked tirelessly to improve the scale of justice and equity in Cook County,” Foxx said in a statement. “This final report and data summary not only highlights our achievements but also lays the foundation for the continued advancement of fair and equitable prosecutorial practices.”

During her eight years, Foxx’s office corrected 248 wrongful convictions that she said rectified “serious miscarriages of justice.”

Foxx’s office also highlighted reforms such as the implementation of the Pretrial Fairness Act last year, which overhauled the pretrial detention process, including elimination of cash bail. Critics said the law would lead to more crime, but a year later, the new policy saw mixed effects.

County prosecutors under Foxx handled more than 7,800 pretrial detention hearings during that first year and 63% of defendants were ordered detained, according to the report. But those accused of more serious crimes were arrested at higher rates, such as those accused of murder (95%) and vehicle hijacking (87%).

Under Foxx, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office prosecuted more than 184,000 adult felony cases, of which the office filed about 124,000 and law enforcement filed about 60,000, according to the report. Of the cases brought by the state prosecutor’s office, 79% resulted in a conviction. Among all cases, the conviction rate was 65%.

Narcotics charges were the most common type of felony prosecution during Foxx’s tenure, although conviction rates in those cases (38% in Cook County and 34% in Chicago) were well below overall averages. , according to the report.

Foxx’s office also referred more than 17,000 defendants to a diversion program that could lead to the expungement of a criminal conviction if the participant graduates from the program. According to the report, about 74% of defendants who were diverted to the program graduated.

Prosecutors also annulled more than 15,000 cannabis-related convictions after the state of Illinois Legalized recreational use of the drug. and sought to address the effects of previous drug policies.